Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said he was disappointed in Spartan fans' early exit from Sunday's home loss, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.
The exodus started with six minutes left in the 67-47 drubbing at the hands of No. 6 Purdue, with the Spartans trailing by 22.
"Great programs probably don't do what we did this year, and great programs don't have that happen," Izzo said after being asked about the walkout.
Izzo, who led the Spartans to a national championship in 2000 and reached the Final Four the past two years, said players were noticeably upset about seeing their fans walking out of the Breslin Center and said as much during a timeout.
"You don't want to see your fans leave," forward Draymond Green said, "you want to go to somebody else's gym and see their fans leave. But that's what Purdue did to us. It happened. We can't do nothing about it now."
The defeat was the worst home loss for Michigan State since losing 72-50 to Duke in 2003. Fresh off last year's Final Four run many had pegged the Spartans as a national title contender before the season, but the team is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament with a record of 16-12, including 8-8 in Big Ten play.
